The skipper vindicated Edgardo Bauza's decision to convince him back into the Albiceleste fold with a first-rate performance, as Uruguay fell to a narrow defeat in Mendoza
Could it really have ended any other way? Just more than two months after a deflated Lionel Messi walked away from the Argentina national team, he was back with the captain's armband in Mendoza to see his nation past dogged Uruguay. His goal was worth three invaluable World Cup qualifying points, and served as a statement of intent after the toughest summer of his career.
There is no doubt that when he said goodbye to the Albiceleste, he meant it.